text:
SENTEL Corporation
B-407060,B-407060.2: Oct 26, 2012
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SENTEL Corporation, of Alexandria, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to National Technology Associates, Inc. (NTA), of Alexandria, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. W91WAW-12-R-0060, issued by the Department of the Army for logistics contractor support services. The protester objects to the agency's evaluation, discussions, and selection decision.
We deny the protest.
The decision issued on the date below was subject to a GAO Protective Order. This redacted version has been approved for public release.
Matter of: SENTEL Corporation
File: B-407060; B-407060.2
Date: October 26, 2012
John E. Jensen, Esq., Daniel S. Herzfeld, Esq., and Clare M. Cavaliero, Esq., Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, for the protester.
Ronald S. Perlman, Esq., and Alexander B. Ginsberg, Esq., Holland & Knight LLP, for National Technology Associates, Inc., the intervenor.
Maj. K. L. Grace Moseley and Capt. Tyler L. Davidson, Department of the Army, for the agency.
Linda C. Glass, Esq., and Guy R. Pietrovito, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision.
1. Protest challenging an agencys evaluation and selection decision is denied where the record demonstrates that the evaluation and selection decision were reasonable and consistent with the solicitations evaluation criteria.
2. Protest that agency failed to conduct meaningful discussions is denied where the aspect of the protesters quotation that was not discussed was not a deficiency or weakness, but reflected an approach that did not receive the maximum rating available.
SENTEL Corporation, of Alexandria, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to National Technology Associates, Inc. (NTA), of Alexandria, Virginia, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. W91WAW-12-R-0060, issued by the Department of the Army for logistics contractor support services. The protester objects to the agencys evaluation, discussions, and selection decision.
We deny the protest.
The agency issued the RFQ via the General Services Administration (GSA) eBuy system on April 30, 2012, under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 8.4, to vendors holding GSA Logistics Worldwide Schedule 874V contracts. The RFQ provided for the issuance of a task order to provide logistics contractor support services for Department of the Navy air fleet readiness centers in California, Maryland and Virginia for a base year and 2 option years. Vendors were informed that the successful vendor would be selected on a best value basis, considering the following factors listed in descending order of importance: technical approach, personnel, past performance and price. RFP at 57. The technical approach factor was stated to be significantly more important than the personnel factor, which was slightly more important than the past performance factor. Id. All non-price factors combined were stated to be significantly more important than price. Id.
With respect to the technical approach evaluation factor, vendors were instructed to demonstrate their understanding of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) work. Id. at 55. With respect to the past performance factor, vendors were required to provide not more than three relevant contracts performed within the last three years, and to explain how their experience was relevant to the analytical, technical, and administrative support work indentified in the PWS. Id. at 55-56. In this regard, the RFQ defined a relevant contract to be contracts with federal, state or local government entities or commercial entities that were similar in scope and complexity to the PWS requirements.[1] Id. at 56.
The agency received five quotations, including SENTELs and NTAs. The quotations were evaluated under the technical approach and personnel factors by the agencys source selection evaluation board (SSEB) and contracting officer, who was the source selection authority for this procurement. The contracting officer evaluated the quotations under the past performance factor. Contracting Officers Statement at 5-6.
Discussions were conducted with all five vendors. SENTEL was asked to clarify its quotation with respect to its personnel and past performance references, see AR, Tab 24, Request for Clarifications, at 1, and advised of several evaluated weaknesses concerning specific PWS requirements. AR, Tab 29, Request for Clarifications and Final Revision, at 1-2. For example, SENTEL was advised that it failed to address the requirement or mention a process for generating estimates for special project workload. Id. SENTEL was also advised that its failure to mention the requirement to coordinate with supply technicians and the warehouse manager to reorder any items determined to be lost in shipment within 24 hours of the discovery was a significant weakness. Id.
NTAs and SENTELs revised quotations were evaluated as follows:[2]
Technical Approach
Past Performance
Satisfactory Confidence
Substantial Confidence
Contract #1
Somewhat Relevant
Very Relevant
Contract #2
Somewhat Relevant
Very Relevant
Contract #3
Somewhat Relevant
Not Relevant
$12.8 million
$12.6 million
Agency Report (AR), Tab 15, Source Selection Decision, at 10.
NTAs good rating under the technical approach factor reflected the SSEBs judgment that NTAs quotation satisfied requirements and indicated a thorough approach and understanding. Id. at 11. NTAs quotation was evaluated as having the following seven strengths (and no weaknesses): the use of an executive white paper to clearly demonstrate that the offeror understood the concept behind the requirements to proactively track and manage funding lines; quad charts to provide actionable data to decision makers; maintaining a list of obsolete parts to facilitate finding new sources for diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages; creating an inaccurate tech data log book to exchange information with organizations responsible for technical publication revisions; shelf-life training; and periodic training of warehouse personnel. Id. The agency also found that NTAs draft transition plan exceeded the PWS requirements by including several critical elements which would be of value to the government, such as, a sharepoint site to facilitate communication during the transition and identifying areas for improved efficiencies and notifying the government before implementation. Id.
NTAs satisfactory confidence rating reflected the contracting officers assessment that NTA had provided three references that were somewhat relevant to the RFQ work. AR, Tab 14, Past Performance Assessment, at 2-4. The contracting officer evaluated NTAs past performance as satisfactory confidence based upon an interview with one references contracting officers representative (COR) and information in the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) for another reference. NTAs third reference was a recently awarded contract, for which there was no past performance assessment available.[3] Id. at 3.
SENTELs acceptable rating under the technical approach factor reflected the SSEBs judgment that SENTELs quotation demonstrated its ability to satisfy the requirements and indicated an adequate approach and understanding. Id. at 12. SENTELs quotation was evaluated as having the following three strengths (and no weaknesses): organizational work structure; management structure including detailing the role and responsibilities of the teams; and risk mitigation strategy in the draft transition plan. Id.
SENTELs substantial confidence rating under the past performance factor reflected the contracting officers finding that two of the protesters references were very relevant and SENTEL had satisfactory to very good performance for these references. AR, Tab 14, Past Performance Assessment, at 9-10. The contracting officer found SENTELs third reference to be not relevant. Id. at 10.
The contracting officer concluded that NTAs quotation reflected the best value to the agency. Specifically, the contracting officer found that NTAs thorough understanding of the requirement, acceptable mix of personnel, and satisfactory past performance confidence rating showed a great likelihood of successful performance. AR, Tab 15, Source Selection Decision, at 16. In this regard, she found that NTAs quotation was superior to SENTELs under the technical approach factor, noting that NTAs evaluated strengths under this factor outweighed SENTELs strengths. Id. at 17. She also found that, although both vendors quotations were rated good under the personnel factor, NTAs quotation was in fact superior to SENTELs because NTA would provide two additional logisticians. Id. In assessing the overall merit of the firms quotations, the contracting officer concluded that NTAs superiority under the technical approach and personnel factors outweighed SENTELs higher rating under the past performance factor and lower price. Id. at 17.
The task order was issued to NTA, and this protest followed a debriefing.
Technical Approach Factor
SENTEL objects to the acceptable rating assigned to its quotation under the technical approach factor, arguing that its quotation should have received a good rating under this factor, given its three evaluated strengths and lack of weaknesses.[4] Protest at 8.
In reviewing an agencys evaluation in an FSS competitive acquisition, we will not reevaluate quotations, but will examine the record to ensure that the agencys evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation. Beckman Coulter, Inc., B-405452, Nov. 4, 2011, 2011 CPD ¶ 231 at 5; Maybank Indus., LLC, B-403327, B-403327.2, Oct. 21, 2010, 2010 CPD ¶ 249 at 5. The essence of an agencys evaluation is reflected in the evaluation record itself, not the adjectival ratings. Stateside Assocs., Inc., B-400670.2, B-400670.3, May 28, 2009, 2009 CPD ¶ 120 at 8. It is well established that ratings, be they numerical, adjectival, or color, are merely guides for intelligent decision making in the procurement process. Burchick Constr. Co., B-400342.3, April 20, 2009, 2009 CPD ¶ 102 at 4-5. There is no legal requirement that an agency must award the highest possible rating, or the maximum point score, under an evaluation factor simply because the proposal or quotation contains strengths and/or is not evaluated as having any weaknesses. See Applied Tech. Sys., Inc., B-404267, B-404267.2, Jan. 25, 2011, 2011 CPD ¶ 36 at 9.
Here, the agency gave ample consideration to the qualitative differences in NTAs and SENTELs quotations. The record shows that the SSEB and contracting officer recognized SENTELs evaluated strengths and lack of weaknesses under the technical approach factor, but concluded that SENTELs quotation only demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. See AR, Tab 15, Source Selection Decision, at 12; Tab 13, Technical Approach Consensus Evaluation, at 1. In this regard, the SSEB recognized that SENTELs quotation exceeded expectations with respect to certain PWS areas but also noted that its quotation demonstrated a lack of understanding of the basic requirements in other areas. AR, Tab 13, Technical Approach Consensus Evaluation, at 1. Moreover, the SSEB and contracting officer noted that none of SENTELs evaluated strengths involved the core areas of the PWS, whereas six of NTAs seven evaluated strengths did involve core areas. See Contracting Officers Statement at 6; SSEB Chairman Statement at 4. Based upon this evaluation, the agency concluded that SENTELs quotation merited an acceptable, and not good, rating under the technical approach factor.
Although the protester disagrees with the agencys judgment in this regard, this does not show that the agency acted unreasonably. We have found that where, as here, an agency reasonably considers the underlying bases for its ratings, including the advantages and disadvantages associated with the specific content of competing offers or quotations, in a manner that is fair and consistent with the terms of the solicitation, the protesters disagreement over the adjectival or color ratings is essentially inconsequential in that it does not affect the reasonableness of the judgments made in the source selection decision. See Sherrick Aerospace, B-310359.2, Jan. 10, 2008, 2008 CPD ¶ 17 at 6.
Past Performance Factor
The protester complains that the agency unreasonably found NTAs past performance merited satisfactory confidence where the agency determined that NTAs experience was only somewhat relevant. Protest at 16. The protester contends that NTAs past performance should have been evaluated as limited confidence. Id. The protester also complains that the Army unreasonably considered information provided by a COR concerning NTAs past performance, arguing that the COR was not authorized to provide the information. Supp. Protest at 9.
Where a solicitation contemplates the evaluation of vendors past performance, the agency has the discretion to determine the scope of the performance history to be considered, provided all quotations are evaluated on the same basis and the evaluation is consistent with the terms of the solicitation. Weidlinger Assocs., Inc., B-299433, B-299433.2, May 7, 2007, 2007 CPD ¶ 91 at 8. Regarding the relative merits of vendors past performance information, this matter is generally within the broad discretion of the contracting agency, and our Office will not substitute our judgment for that of the agency. See e.g., Clean Harbors Envtl. Servs., Inc., B-296176.2, Dec. 9, 2005, 2005 CPD ¶ 222 at 3. A protesters mere disagreement with the agencys judgment does not establish that an evaluation was improper. Id.
First, we find no merit to SENTELs complaint that the Army unreasonably considered information provided by a COR for one of NTAs references. An agency is generally not precluded from considering any relevant past performance information, regardless of its source. See e.g., NVT Techs., Inc., B-297524, B-297524.2, Feb. 2, 2006, 2006 CPD ¶ 36 at 5. In this regard, SENTEL does not argue that the COR for this reference did not have sufficient basis of knowledge to render an informed opinion regarding NTAs performance. Rather, SENTEL appears to mistakenly believe that the agency may only consider the opinion of a contracting officer.
We also find no merit to SENTELs objection that the Army could not have found NTAs experience somewhat relevant because the value of these projects was significantly below the task order value here. The RFQ defined somewhat relevant to be where the present or past performance effort involved some of the scope and magnitude of the effort and complexities of the work solicited here. RFQ at 59. The Army found that, although NTAs references were not of the value of the task order, they nevertheless reflected some of the scope, magnitude, and complexity of the task order work. See AR, Tab 14, Past Performance Assessment, at 2-4. Although SENTEL disagrees with the agencys judgment in this regard, it has not shown it to be unreasonable.
The protester also complains that the Armys discussions with SENTEL were not meaningful. Specifically, SENTEL contends that the Army found a significant weakness in its quotation under the technical approach factor, because SENTEL had not provided descriptions of processes the firm would use to perform certain PWS requirements. The protester states that the Army did not disclose this concern in its discussions with SENTEL. Supp. Protest at 7; Protesters Comments at 17.
When an agency engages in discussions with a vendor, the discussions must be "meaningful," that is, sufficiently detailed to lead the vendor into the areas of its quotation requiring amplification or revision. AINS, Inc., B-400760.4, B-400760.5, Jan. 19, 2010, 2010 CPD ¶ 32 at 5. To satisfy this obligation to conduct meaningful discussions, an agency must lead firms into the areas of their proposals or quotations that reflect deficiencies or significant weaknesses; that is, an agency must identify aspects of the firms proposal or quotation that, unless further addressed, would prevent the firm from having a reasonable chance for award. Northrop Grumman Info. Tech., Inc., B-290080 et al., June 10, 2002, 2002 CPD ¶ 136 at 6. An agency is not required to conduct all-encompassing discussions or to discuss every element of a proposal or quotation receiving less than the maximum rating. American Ordnance, LLC, B-292847 et al., Dec. 5, 2003, 2004 CPD ¶ 3 at 4-5; Information Sys. Tech. Corp., B-289313, Feb. 5, 2002, 2002 CPD ¶ 36 at 5.
Here, the record shows that, contrary to the protesters arguments, the Army found no weaknesses in SENTELs final revised quotation under the technical approach factor. See AR, Tab 2, Source Selection Decision, at 11. Rather than being a deficiency or significant weakness, the Armys concern with SENTELs failure to provide a detailed description of some of its processes to perform PWS work reflected the agencys weighing of the firms evaluated strengths and comparing the merits of SENTELs approach to that of NTAs. See Supp. AR at 16-17. We find that the Armys discussions with SENTEL were meaningful and that the Army was not required to discuss this concern with the firm.
Source Selection Decision
SENTEL raises numerous challenges to the Armys source selection decision. In addition to arguing that its quotation should have been selected based upon its lower price, SENTEL complains that the selection decision contains errors and does not sufficiently document the basis for the contracting officers judgment.[5]
Where, as here, a procurement conducted pursuant to FAR subpart 8.4 provides for award on a best value basis, it is the function of the source selection authority to perform a price/technical tradeoff, that is, to determine whether a quotation's technical superiority is worth its higher price. InnovaTech, Inc., B-402415, Apr. 8, 2010, 2010 CPD ¶ 94 at 6; The MIL Corp., B-297508, B-297508.2, Jan. 26, 2006, 2006 CPD ¶ 34 at 13. While we are mindful that, under simplified acquisition procedures, limited documentation of the source selection is permissible, the agency must at least provide a sufficient record to show that the source selection was reasonable. FAR § 8.405-2(e) (minimum documentation requirements include documenting the rationale for any tradeoffs when establishing a BPA or placing an order); e-LYNXX Corp., B-292761, Dec. 3, 2003, 2003 CPD ¶ 219 at 8 (even for procurements conducted under simplified acquisition procedures, an agency must have a sufficient record to allow for a meaningful review).
As an initial matter we disagree with the protester that the agencys source selection decision in this FSS procurement is inadequately documented. In her decision, the contracting officer describes the SSEBs evaluation of each vendors quotation under each factor, detailing the evaluation ratings and describing the evaluated strengths and weaknesses supporting the respective ratings. The contracting officer also details the basis for her conclusion that the technical merit of NTAs higher-priced quotation outweighed SENTELs better past performance rating and lower price.
We also do not agree with SENTEL that two alleged factual errors in the selection decision call into question the reasonableness of the contracting officers best value judgment. Specifically, SENTEL complains that, although the SSEB found the firms draft transition plan to be a strength, the contracting officer stated in her selection decision that SENTELs draft transition plan satisfied the PWS requirements with no weaknesses or strengths. AR, Tab 2, Source Selection Decision, at 12. The record shows, however, that the contracting officer specifically recognized that SENTELs risk mitigation strategy in its draft transition plan had been evaluated as a strength, but also recognized that the transition plan would only be in effect for a short period of time and would have little impact on performance. See AR, Tab 15, Source Selection Decision, at 12; see also Contracting Officers Statement at 6.[6]
SENTEL also complains that the contracting officer in weighing NTAs past performance erroneously stated that she received past performance information from PPIRS for two of NTAs references, when in fact she obtained PPIRS information for only one reference. Protesters Comments at 7. The contracting officer acknowledges that this statement in the selection decision is in error. See Supp. Contracting Officers Statement at 8. Nevertheless, this minor misstatement does not call into question the contracting officers judgment regarding the NTAs past performance or with respect to her cost/technical tradeoff. As noted above, the contracting officer performed the past performance assessments and obtained adequate information supporting her evaluation. Although she may have misstated the source for NTAs past performance information with respect to one reference, SENTEL has not shown any basis to question the information received with respect to that reference.
Finally, we find no merit to SENTELs disagreement with the contracting officers judgment that NTAs higher-priced quotation reflected the best value to the agency. Source selection officials have considerable discretion in making cost/technical tradeoff decisions. Their judgments in these tradeoffs are by their nature subjective; nevertheless, the exercise of these judgments must be reasonable and must bear a rational relationship to the announced criteria upon which competing offers are to be selected. An agency may select the higher-rated, higher-priced quotation as reflecting the best value to the agency where that decision is consistent with the evaluation criteria and the agency reasonably determines that the technical superiority of the higher-priced quotation outweighs the price difference. InnovaTech, Inc., supra. SENTEL has not shown the contracting officers judgment here to be unreasonable or inconsistent with the solicitations criteria.
The protest is denied.
Lynn H. Gibson
General Counsel
[1] The RFQ also stated that the scope of a contract related to the range of products and services provided and its dollar value. RFP at 56.
[2] Quotations were evaluated under the technical approach and personnel factors as outstanding, good, acceptable, marginal or unacceptable. RFQ at 59. An acceptable rating reflected a proposal that met the requirements, indicated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements, and had strengths and weaknesses that were offsetting or would have little or no impact on contract performance. Id. at 59. Past performance was evaluated as substantial confidence, satisfactory confidence, limited confidence, no confidence, and unknown confidence. Id. A satisfactory confidence rating reflected that the agency had a reasonable expectation that the vendor would successfully perform the required effort. Id.
[3] Although the contracting officer stated in her source selection decision that she obtained past performance information from PPIRS for two of NTAs references, the past performance assessment indicated that there was information in PPIRS with respect to only one of NTAs references. Compare AR, Tab 14, Past Performance Assessment, at 3-4, with AR, Tab 15, Source Selection Decision, at 14.
[4] SENTEL also complains that the SSEB initially identified a fourth strength involving the protesters quality management plan that was not included as a strength in the final SSEB evaluation report. Supplemental Protest at 13. The agency explains that after several rounds of discussions, it no longer considered the protesters quality management plan to be a strength. SSEB Chairman Statement at 2. Although SENTEL disagrees with this evaluation judgment, it has not shown it to be unreasonable.
[5] In its supplemental protest, SENTEL complained that the agency failed to inform it of a significant weakness under the technical approach factor, citing the agencys legal memorandum that described SENTELs failure to fully describe its process for performing the PWS as a significant weakness. See Supp. Protest at 8. The Army contends that SENTEL has misread the agencys legal memorandum and states that it found no weaknesses or significant weaknesses in SENTELs quotation under the technical approach factor. See Supp. AR at 16-17. Our review confirms the Armys position; the contemporaneous record shows that the agency found no weaknesses or significant weaknesses in SENTELs quotation under this factor. See AR, Tab 15, Source Selection Decision, at 11.
[6] Although SENTEL contends that we should give little weight to the agencys post-hoc explanation of the errors in the contracting officers selection decision, citing Boeing Sikorsky Aircraft Support, B-277263.2, B-277263.3, Sept. 29, 1997, 97-2 CPD ¶ 91 at 15, we will consider post-protest explanations that, as here, provide a detailed rationale for contemporaneous conclusions, and simply fill in previously unrecorded details. In reviewing such explanations, we consider whether the explanations are credible and consistent with the contemporaneous record. NWT, Inc.; PharmChem Labs., Inc., B-280988, B-280988.2, Dec. 17, 1998, 98-2 CPD ¶ 158 at 16.
Sep 30, 2020
ANG Quality Testing, Ltd.
We deny the protest.
RCG of North Carolina, LLC
We deny the protests.
Sep 29, 2020
MLS-Multinational Logistic Services, Ltd.; MLSUSA Corporation
We deny the protest.
Evergreen JV
We sustain the protest.
Cynergy Professional Systems, LLC--Reconsideration
We deny the request.
Kord Technologies, Inc.
We deny the protest.
Sep 28, 2020
Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc.
We sustain the protest.
Sep 25, 2020
ICI Services Corporation
We dismiss the protest.
Sep 24, 2020
Pacific Dredge and Construction, LLC
We deny the protest.
Sep 23, 2020
Candor Solutions, LLC
We dismiss the protest because the protester's allegations are untimely.
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Development and amendments to EB Regulation
The EB Regulation has been developed in close cooperation with the Agency, ENTSO-E and stakeholders, in order to adopt effective, balanced and proportionate rules in a transparent and participative manner. In accordance with Article 18(3) of Regulation (EC) No 714/2009, the Commission will consult the Agency, ENTSO-E and other relevant stakeholders, before proposing any amendment to EB Regulation.
Development of terms and conditions or methodologies
Every proposal for the terms and conditions or methodologies should be submitted to public consultation before its submission for regulatory approval, in accordance with Article 10 of the EB Regulation. The entities responsible for performing the consultation should duly consider the views of stakeholders resulting from the consultation, prior to its submission for regulatory approval. In all cases, a clear and robust justification for including or not the views resulting from the consultation should be developed and published in a timely manner before or simultaneously with the publication of the respective proposal.
Implementation of EB Regulation
Market European Stakeholder Committee (MESC): Pursuant to Article 9 of the EB Regulation, the Agency, in close cooperation with ENTSO-E, has established the Market European Stakeholder Committee (MESC), in order to organise stakeholder involvement regarding general aspects of the implementation of the EB Regulation and holds regular meetings with stakeholders to identify problems and propose improvements notably related to the integration of electricity balancing market.
Electricity Balancing Stakeholder Group (EBSG): Pursuant to Article 9 of the EB Regulation, the Agency, in close cooperation with ENTSO-E, has also established the Electricity Balancing Stakeholder Group (EBSG), in order to organise specific stakeholder involvement regarding the implementation of EB Regulation. EBSG holds regular meetings with stakeholders to identify problems and propose improvements related to the integrated electricity balancing market.
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Senator's probe slams phone firms for murky 'cramming' fees
Mysterious fees and services crammed onto phone bills are a "nationwide epidemic" for U.S. consumers, but a reliable source of revenue for some of America's biggest telecommunications companies, a year-long congressional investigation has found.
A report issued Wednesday by Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., says that three firms -- Verizon, AT&T and CenturyLink/Quest -- earned $650 million as their cut of cramming charges levied by third-parties since 2006.
Cramming charges -- such as unwanted $10-per-month voicemail or Web design services -- have been frustrating phone customers for more than 15 years, thanks in part to ill-considered rules designed to enhance competition in local phone markets. Consumers often don't spot the small monthly fees, but even when they do getting refunds can be a nightmare: The telephone provider that sends the bills often refuses to issue refunds, instead referring consumers to the third-party firms, which are often unresponsive. The Federal Communications Commission estimates that 15 million to 20 million consumers are crammed every year. Rockefeller's report says cramming could cost U.S. consumers $2 billion annually.
Congress has been unable to fix the problem for more than a decade.


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OTTAWA — Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, who has surged into first place in opinion polls, was hammered by opponents Sunday for arguing Canada should keep the Senate because it gives Quebec a big advantage over B.C. and Alberta.
"We have 24 senators from Quebec and there are just six from Alberta and six from British Columbia. That's to our advantage," Trudeau said in response to the new NDP push to have the scandal-plagued $91.5-million-a-year upper chamber abolished.
"To want to abolish it, that's demagogy. It has to be improved," he said in a story published Saturday in Montreal's La Presse newspaper.
Critics accused Trudeau of pitting region against region. But Trudeau, in an interview with The Vancouver Sun late Sunday, said it was the Conservatives that were harming western interests by pushing for Senate reforms that merely allow for election of senators.
"Justin Trudeau is tone deaf to western Canadians," Heritage Minister James Moore, B.C.'s senior minister in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, told The Sun in a statement. "This isn't the first time he has insulted the West, it won't be the last."
NDP House leader Nathan Cullen said Trudeau's comments will get a "terrible" reception in the West.
"Mr. Trudeau has made so much about being a unifying figure, so to defend something so indefensible as the Senate under the guise that 'it's better for the place where I live' speaks to the worst motivations," said Cullen, MP for the northwestern B.C. riding of Skeena-Bulkley Valley. "That's not unifying. That's pitting one (region) against another."
Trudeau said it is Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives who want to hurt B.C. and Alberta by pushing to create an elected Senate without making other changes.
Giving senators additional democratic legitimacy by electing them will make the Senate more powerful. Unless the seat distribution is changed, Trudeau said, that will hurt B.C. and Alberta which are grossly under-represented in the Senate given their populations and economic clout.
"Electing senators will have a terrible impact on the West," Trudeau told The Sun.
The Canadian Constitution gives B.C. and Alberta only six senators each of the total of 105, while guaranteeing New Brunswick and Nova Scotia 10 senators each.
Trudeau also said he had no apologies for pointing out the current Senate's benefit for his home province.
"I'm looking out for the interests of all Canadians, there's no question about that, but I'm not going to make apologies for being very serious about protecting minorities in this country, whether they be linguistic minorities like anglophones in Quebec or francophones outside of Quebec, or even Quebec as a province."
He also said it's not a "big deal" that a national leader would refer to Quebec's interests as "our" interests while speaking to a Quebec newspaper.
"Politicians are from places and usually if they are a good politician they're proud of where they're from," he said, noting that Harper has proclaimed Calgary as Canada's top city while Moore promoted B.C. during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Trudeau made his original comments in La Presse in response to NDP leader Tom Mulcair's campaign to abolish the Senate in light of the Senate expenses scandal that has ensnared Harper after Harper's then chief of staff Nigel Wright's gave $90,000 of his own money to Tory Senator Mike Duffy so that Duffy could repay questionable expense payments.
Trudeau, citing good work by senators like Liberal Romeo Dallaire, told La Presse that it would be better to "improve" rather than get rid of the Senate.
Trudeau, whose party has only eight Quebec seats in the House of Commons compared to the NDP's 57, has surged to first place in polls in both Quebec and across Canada.
Liberal MP Joyce Murray, one of two Liberal MPs in B.C. (there are none in Alberta), defended Trudeau's comments.
"I think (the NDP) are pandering to people who are upset about the scandal," said Murray, MP for Vancouver Quadra, in an interview. She said that while spending abuses are not acceptable, the Senate does important work when it's working well.
"(Trudeau) is a francophone Canadian and at some level he's saying that it's demagogy for francophones, of whom he is one, to jump on this bandwagon when they know full well it is an advantage to their province. He is a francophone, why wouldn't he say it like that?"
She subsequently sent an email noting that she recognizes B.C. and Alberta are disadvantaged in the Senate and, like Trudeau, argued that Harper and Moore are hurting their home provinces by favouring an elected Senate with no change in seat distribution.
Quebec's 24 seats in the Senate represent a proportion of the upper chamber seats in line with the province's share of the national population. Atlantic Canada, however, has 30 of the 105 seats despite having just seven per cent of the population.


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November 6, 2012
President Barack Obama has been re-elected in a virtual landslide, according to projected reports appearing across the mainstream media.
Current calculations give Obama 303 electoral votes, and Romney 206.
With four more years and no elections to be concerned about, Obama is cut loose from all accountability and free to pursue his agenda in full.
Regardless, it is a win for the establishment which bought both candidates from the start. Both Romney and Obama have fronted for big bailout interests, the offshoring of American jobs, a free-for-all for GMO interests, more wars and draconian policies like the NDAA and, of course, expanded federal power.
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Difference between revisions of "How to act against ACTA"
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Revision as of 11:20, 21 February 2012
|Current main action: MEPs are back in their home district for the "green week", get in touch with them!
|See our dossier on ACTA, a list of NGOs, politicians, academics, etc. against ACTA, counter-arguments to answer those defending ACTA, and a 2 minute video on ACTA.
To be informed about the next steps to urge Members of the European Parliament to reject ACTA, send a blank email to firstname.lastname@example.com to subscribe to our list.
To discuss ACTA, subscribe to our discussion list by sending a blank email to email@example.com. We won't use your email for anything else.
ACTA is a multi-lateral trade agreement which threatens to change the Internet as we know it and puts fundamental freedoms at risk.
The European Parliament will vote on ACTA and still has the occasion to reject it once and for all.
You will find on this page different ways you can act to defeat ACTA as a citizen.
As a citizen, the main two things to do are:
- contacting Members of the European Parliament
- helping spread the word about ACTA.
- 1 Contact your Elected Representatives
- 2 Spread the message
- 3 More Ways to help
Contact your Elected Representatives
Contacting your Elected Representatives is the most useful thing you can do right now, and until the final vote in the European Parliament.
We need to be ready to act at each step of the parliamentary process in the European Parliament. Each of these steps is an occasion for us to make ourselves heard against ACTA.
To get a clear view of the parliamentary process, visit our page ACTA: to keep in mind
To be informed about the next steps to urge Members of the European Parliament to reject ACTA, send a blank email to email@example.com to subscribe to our list. We won't use your email for anything else.
Who to contact
Several EP committees are responsible for producing reports that will be put to vote along with the vote on ACTA as a whole.
You can contact each of these committees:
Right now, we need to contact members of the INTA committee. They are working on a report on ACTA, we must ensure it conveys all the the crucial issues raised by ACTA. Call them and tell what you think of ACTA and that you want their report to convey your opinion as a citizen.
You can also contact members of the LIBE committee, ITRE committee, JURI committee and DEVE committee committees to explain to them the many issues about ACTA and influence their respective reports.
Focus your calls on members of the political groups that so far has been the most supportive of ACTA:
On each of the many steps of the parliamentary procedure, we need to be as many as possible to call the Members of the European Parliament so they understand how important it is to European citizens that ACTA is rejected, and why it is so dangerous.
General advice on contacting MEPs
Key arguments are listed on our page ACTA: to keep in mind.
The MEPs have been given a "fact-sheet" on ACTA's supposed inoffensiveness to reassure concerned citizens (that's you). You can find a debunking of these lies here.
If a question to which you don't have the answer comes up, don't panic. You are not expected to be an expert, only a concerned citizen.
Tell the MEP you will research the answer and call back with more information, and come and ask us. If you're still not comfortable with the arguments, don't give up. Ask what is the MEP's position on ACTA, and ask what are their arguments.
How to call:
- First of all, get comfortable with the arguments (don't hesitate to try them out on your friends, your family etc.).
- Select a MEP representing you from the ones of the Committees working on ACTA (currently the INTA Committee) and dial their number.
When you call, you will most likely reach a parliamentary assistant, they are usually bright and polite people, treat them accordingly.
- Being polite and calm, tell them about your concerns, asking them to take part in the parliamentary debates and to take a stand against ACTA.
- Rinse and repeat: pick another MEP's number and call them.
- Report back your call and the MEP's position to La Quadrature (It helps target specific MEPs during the campaign).
You should also call members of the LIBE, JURI and ITRE and DEVE committees and talk to them too.
In general, don't hesitate to offer to call back with more information, to meet the MEP, to send documents, references, etc.
Sometimes, Parliamentary assistants will ask you to send an e-mail. Don't hesitate to call back later to check if they've read it and what they thought of it.
See an example phone call of how a conversation with an MEP assistant might go.
Spread the message
Another important and complimentary way to act against ACTA is to inform people, making sure as many people as possible know about ACTA and how bad it is. It may sound obvious, but people can only want to act against ACTA if they are aware of its dangers.
You can spread resources by La Quadrature du Net and other, far and wide:
- your personal spaces on the Internet (personal blogs, social networks, micro-blogging platforms)
- mailing lists,
- email,
- forums
- any other mean :)
Refer people to la Quadrature's webdossier on ACTA
- Spread the ACTA dossier and refer people to it for more info.
- The short address is: http://lqdn.fr/acta
Show people the NO to ACTA video
- Show the NO to ACTA videos to family, colleagues, friends (not just geeks, everyone)
- You can embed the video everywhere:
- Use the following html code to insert the main version of the video

- You can also use the embed links from Youtube and Dailymotion to spread the videos.
The videos are released under a permissive and freedom-granting Creative Commons licence, so you don't have to ask to use them. :)
Use our No to ACTA flyer for demonstrations, informative actions, and share it, remix it and help translate it!
Use your own words, pictures, sounds to talk about ACTA
Creating more creative bits and art and expressing oneself is another powerful way to inform other people.
The power of image and creativity to explain and touch people is very strong, so this is a great way to act against ACTA if you enjoy writing, drawing, painting, making music, etc.
Here are some ideas:
- Write an article on your blog,
- Write an article for your school, college/university or company newspaper
- Write to your newspapers asking why they aren't talking more about ACTA and telling them about ACTA
- Create more videos, films, pictures, paintings against either the whole of ACTA or specific parts of the agreement
- For instance, you can create banners, buttons, illustrations against ACTA (using images from the videos if you want) that others can use in their signatures, as avatars, to illustrate their blog articles, newspaper articles, etc.
- If you do so, please post a link to your banner here.
- Remix and transform already produced material, and give it a new life.
- For instance, to the right here is a cool infographics remix of the NO to ACTA video with RoboCopyright ACTA.
More Ways to help
Organise events
- Organise public events at your school, university, work place, etc.
- Organise a discussion about ACTA, linking it to your classes or your activity
- Show the NO to ACTA video
Publicly take a stand
- If you are part of an NGO, consider having it publicly denounce ACTA, and telling your members about ACTA's dangers.
- Contact well-known persons, celebrities or NGOs and ask them to take a stand.
Support la Quadrature du Net
If you can afford it, financial support is of course greatly appreciated.
You can make a donation to help La Quadrature keep on fighting ACTA and act on the other dossiers it works on.
Translate this page into your language
To help other people from different parts of the world act against ACTA, you can help translate this page.
Remember to always use the English version as the source for your translation, as it is the most up to date version. If you do so, remember to update the translated version often enough.
For collaborative translation and easy proofreading and correction, you can use an EtherPad such as http://pad.lqdn.fr/p/How-to-act-against-ACTA-LANGUAGE
ie: https://pad.lqdn.fr/p/How_to_act_against_ACTA_es
Once translated, create a new page on the wiki with your translated text, and add a link to your language to the top of this page.
(You need an account to create a page on the wiki, open editing is disabled for spam protection.)
Contacting us
If in doubt or if you have any remaining question, don't hesitate to contact us :
- use the mailing list email@example.com(to subscribe, send a blank email to firstname.lastname@example.com. We won't use your email for anything else.)
- send an email to email@example.com
- join us on our chat (or #laquadrature on IRC.freenode.net)
Thanks for your help everyone :)
Together, we can do amazing things! Like defeat ACTA!


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Contribute to ReadWriteThink / RSS / FAQs / Site Demonstrations / Contact Us / About Us
Home › Classroom Resources › Mobile Apps
Mobile App
Haiku Poem App
With this app, students can learn about and write haiku, a popular Japanese poem that traditionally has three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Students begin by brainstorming words for their poem, and then they compose their poem with attention to how many syllables they've written for each line. The final step allows students to customize the design of their poem with one of the provided artistic backgrounds or by uploading their own image.
Saving capability allows students to return to their work and make revisions. Final work can be shared via e-mail or saved to the device's camera roll.
Designed for use in the school environment, this app features a simple profile system so that multiple users can create and store their own haiku poems on the same device without confusion.
This app mirrors our web-based student interactive Haiku Poems, so users familiar with one can easily adapt to the other. In fact, the two are so similar that users can send their editable .rwt files to an email address and then open their haiku poem right in the online tool!
Haiku can be confusing for the novice writers; they can be a challenge for even the experts! We've included some tips for writing Haiku poetry--traditional and modern--so that no writer is left stranded.
Students can brainstorm words before writing their poems. If they are learning the strict 5-7-5 syllable count of traditional haiku writing, they can record the number of syllables here as well.
Students' brainstormed words and syllable counts are shown on the writing screen as a reminder. Students can also count and record the number of syllables per line.
Students can give their haiku poem just the right look by selecting from different fonts, background images, or even adding their own images!
Students can email their finished poem as a pdf or save a final version to their device's photo gallery.
1 of 5
Lessons That Use This Mobile App
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Seasonal Haiku: Writing Poems to Celebrate Any Season
After listening to haiku poetry, students use seasonal descriptive words to write their own haiku, following the traditional format. They then publish their poems by mounting them on illustrated backgrounds.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Compiling Poetry Collections and a Working Definition of Poetry
This unit introduces students to a variety of poetic forms and elements, as they compile their own collections of poetry.
Grades 4 – 6 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Learning about Clouds with Haikus
Using a mobile app or Interactive activity, students write haikus describing various types of clouds that they have studied.
Related Classroom & Professional Development Resources
Grades K – 12 | Calendar Activity |  April 1
April is National Poetry Month!
Students are assigned to be "poets of the day" and are provided several models to create, illustrate, and present their different poems to the class.
Grades 3 – 6 | Calendar Activity |  April 30
Participate in Poem in Your Pocket Day!
Students select a poem and create a Stapleless Book using the interactive tool.
Grades 3 – 12 | Calendar Activity |  March 21
Students read and respond to Billy Collins' poem "Introduction to Poetry." Students then write about a favorite poem and imagine the perfect way to read it.
Grades K – 12 | Calendar Activity |  October 3
United States Congress officially adopted the position of Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry in 1985.
Students investigate the website of a past Poet Laureate's project and use it as a model to celebrate poetry that appeals most to them.


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Homes for sale in Russell MA should have a home inspection. Home buyers should receive a brochure, Home Inspectors Facts for Consumers Sheet, from the seller or seller's agent.
WAVE Inspection Services is a full service inspection company serving Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. We provide the following services:
- Home Inspections
- Continuous Radon Monitor Testing
- Water Quality Testing
- Water Quantity Testing
- Ariel Photography (UAV, Drone)
Call 508-796-1118 for a Russell MA home inspection.
A Standard Home Inspection in Russell MA is performed to the MA Home Inspector Standards of Practice. The best home inspectors in Russell MA perform inspections to the Standard. Excellent home inspectors exceed the Standard. Ask your home inspector how they exceed the standard.
Russell MA Home Inspectors List
Russell MA Home Buyer Resources
Russell MA Information Links
Russell MA Licensed Professionals


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I am looking for Svantek Users to evaluate the software I wrote.
It is designed for Svantek 957 and 959 but will also work on the 94x equipment. The main focus is on postprocessing the bufferfiles.
You can read all about it on http://www.svantool.com. A demo version is available after registration.
If I can help, just send me a mail.


text: A total of 24 games, and 1 Drake Night, can only mean one thing – there are a ton of NBA weekend on-feet looks to catch up on. The Heat had a rough trip to New York as they lost to both squads in a matter of two days even with the help of a couple of enticing Nike Zoom Soldier 7 PEs for LeBron. Let's just say he couldn't stop Joe Johnson from putting on a show at the Barclays Center in the first quarter (the Nets guard continues his retro wears for 2014 in the Air Jordan XII "Taxi"). Elsewhere around the league the Nike Zoom Hyperrev debuted in a plethora of team colorways and we even got to see an Air Jordan II on court in Denver, so stay with us after the click for our latest NBA Feet weekend recap and let us know which pair was your favorite in the comments.


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The next few days are going to be bitter sweet. While we celebrate our 1 year birthday, these giveaways will in celebration of our birthday will come to an end. Our good friends over at TeleNav have joined in on the celebration and allowed us to give out a few copies of their GPS Navigator. Currently you can try Telenav for 30 days but we are giving away three 1 year subscriptions!
- Get turn-by-turn driving directions by voice and onscreen. If you miss a turn TeleNav will automatically reroute you.
- Find whatever you need wherever you are. Locate, call or navigate to rated and reviewed restaurants, hotels, ATMs, Wi-Fi hotspots and more from a directory of over 10 million businesses. No more expensive 411 calls.
- Avoid traffic jams with real-time traffic alerts and intelligent rerouting.
- Pre-plan trips online at My TeleNav. And by downloading an Internet browser plugin you can easily save addresses from any Web page to your phone.
- Get automated updates of full-color 3D maps and business listings.
All you have to do to win is just reply to this thread. However, if you happen to follow TeleNav on Twitter and have them as your friends on Facebook, your chances of being picked are going to be a lot higher. Yes we will check too! Since we are a little late in putting this give away up, we'll end this on our birthday @ 11:59PM and Monday night or Tuesday night we will post up the winners! Good luck!


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STOCKTON - University of the Pacific has added to its roster of homegrown talent, hiring Thunder President and near lifelong Stockton resident Dan Chapman as an associate athletic director.
STOCKTON - University of the Pacific has added to its roster of homegrown talent, hiring Thunder President and near lifelong Stockton resident Dan Chapman as an associate athletic director.
Chapman, 50, will oversee marketing, ticket sales, athletic media relations and aid in media negotiations with the NCAA and the West Coast Conference, the Tigers' new home starting this fall after 42 years in the Big West Conference.
Chapman has been president of the Thunder ECHL hockey franchise since its inception in 2005 and will assume his new duties July 1. The Thunder recently reached the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time, losing to the Reading Royals in five games.
"It's been an eventful few days," said Chapman, a Lincoln High and San Francisco State graduate. "It's difficult leaving this organization, having been here since we started, but I'm very excited about the opportunity at Pacific."
Thunder owner Brad Rowbotham said Chapman will be missed.
"Dan's contribution has been fantastic over the last eight years," said Rowbotham, owner and general manager of Roll'n Oilfield Industries in Red Deer, Alberta. "He knows so many people and is such a good person. When you lose someone like that, it is a loss, but we're going to take everything he's helped build and move forward and build on top of what he's done."
Rowbotham, who purchased the Thunder from Michael Reinsdorf in April 2010, said he hasn't yet identified any potential successors.
Thunder coach Matt Thomas, who will interview for the coaching vacancy at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, on Thursday, said Chapman has been the face of the Thunder franchise.
"He poured his heart and soul into the Thunder, but at some point you have those tough decisions to make for the next move in your life," said Thomas, who recently completed his fourth full season with Stockton. "I know he's excited, and it's a good move for him."
Chapman got the job at Pacific with help from his longtime friend Ron Verlin, the Tigers' new men's basketball coach, who several weeks ago approached Pacific athletic director Ted Leland about bringing Chapman on board.
"He's one of the best guys in this town to sell tickets and community relations," said Verlin, who succeeds Bob Thomason after 19 years as his assistant coach. "He's a great sports guy and he's a first-class, out-front guy. He brings that immediately, his relationships and what he's built in this community."
Chapman spent 14 years with the Stockton Ports, the first four as the assistant general manager and the final 10 as general manager. He was president and chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Stockton and spent four years on the Stockton City Council. Chapman was named the Class A Executive of the Year by Sporting News in 1990 and received the California League Award of Excellence in 1992. In 2011, he was named ECHL Executive of the Year.
Chapman was the first employee hired by the Thunder and helped execute a business plan developed by Chief Financial Officer Bill Davidson, who still is employed by the franchise. Chapman helped sell hockey to an area that never before had a professional hockey franchise.
In each year of its existence, the Thunder has placed among the top five in attendance in the 23-team ECHL and led the league in attendance for four consecutive seasons. Meanwhile, Pacific has struggled to fill seats in recent years. Last season, Pacific men's basketball was sixth in the 10-team Big West in attendance averaging 2,169 in 16 dates at the 6,150-seat Spanos Center.
"The most important thing the university needs to focus on is selling tickets," Chapman said. "That's where it all starts, and that's the message I will be conveying to anybody who wants to listen. Going into the WCC will build attendance, but you can't rely on just that. There has to be a full-court press, no pun intended, on ticket sales, and if that's done correctly, it will help in a variety of areas."
Chapman said he and Leland will develop a business plan and execute it with help from existing staff and possible new hires. Leland did not immediately return a phone message Monday but in a statement said: "We are extremely thrilled to have someone of Dan's ability and reputation in the community to join Pacific Athletics. Dan's strengths are tailor made for this position, and he will help us elevate our program in all facets as we transition to a new dawn of the university's athletic footprint."
This year, in an effort to bridge a long-perceived disconnect between Pacific and the community, the university purchased billboards that highlight student-athletes and prominent alums with area ties, including St. Mary's product Kendall Kenyon of the women's basketball team and Franklin graduate, astronaut Jose Hernandez, behind the heading "Homegrown Talent." Chapman knows it will take more than billboards to build interest.
"It all starts with the fan base. That's something that has to be first and foremost for us to improve upon," Chapman said. "I haven't been in the trenches to know why it's been what it's been. It's had its ups and downs. They had some really good years in the early 2000s, and a lot of it, at the college level, it's based more on winning, but you can't sit back and wait for that to happen. You have to aggressively go out into the community and do a lot of outreach to get folks to come see the Tigers."
Chapman said job security was among his reasons for leaving the Thunder. Chapman worked for four owners with the Ports and has worked for two owners with the Thunder.
"I survived all six ownership changes, and I've been lucky to have worked for great owners, but it can be nerve-racking," Chapman said. "I'm looking forward to the college atmosphere and working with different athletic programs."
Pacific has 18 athletic teams, including sand volleyball, which was added this year.
Chapman and his wife, Mary Ann, live in Stockton with their sons Andrew, 18, and Eric, 15.
Contact sports editor Bob Highfill at (209) 546-8282 or email@example.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/sportsblog.


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A weary state Sen. Donne Trotter was released on $25,000 bond Thursday after spending the night in a Chicago police lockup on a felony charge that he tried to bring a handgun aboard an aircraft at O'Hare International Airport.
Dressed in a tan suede jacket, Trotter, who is seeking former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s congressional seat, left the Leighton Criminal Court Building amid a throng of reporters, photographers and cameramen. As he was peppered with questions about his political future, Trotter looked straight ahead and said, "Not now, not today."
When one reporter asked if he was still "running," Trotter quipped, "From you." Trotter then jumped into a black sedan and was whisked away.
Trotter, 62, was charged Wednesday with trying to board a jet with a gun in his carry-on luggage, a felony that could bring probation or up to three years in prison. He posted the required $2,500 to secure the bond and agreed to surrender any firearms while awaiting trial.
According to prosecutors and court records, Trotter told police he got off work as a security guard early Wednesday and forgot that his gun was in a zipped-up side pocket of his garment bag, along with a magazine containing six live rounds.
Transportation Security Administration officials spotted the .25-caliber Beretta and ammunition in the bag as Trotter went through a security checkpoint at O'Hare's Terminal 2 on Wednesday morning, authorities said. He was trying to board an 8 a.m. flight to Reagan International Airport in Washington, Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said.
A source has said Trotter was expected to attend the annual conference of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators in Washington.
Trotter has a valid firearm owner's identification card and is licensed by the state to carry the gun while on the security job and while traveling to and from work at the security company, Scaduto said. The weapon, however, was not registered in the city of Chicago as required by municipal ordinance, Scaduto said.
Trotter's lawyer, Joshua Herman, told Judge Israel Desierto that his client has 24 years of public service and no criminal record of any kind. He has been married 26 years and has four grown children and six grandchildren, the lawyer said.
"His life has been dedicated to serving the people of Illinois," Herman said in court.
Trotter kept his hands folded in front of him during the brief hearing. Several family members, including Trotter's wife and brother, attended the hearing but declined to speak as they left the courthouse.
Herman told reporters that Trotter would not take questions. "It's been a long day" and he just wants to get home to his family, he said.
The South Side lawmaker spent an afternoon and night in the lockup at the Jefferson Park District station at 5151 N. Milwaukee Ave. before being taken Thursday morning to the lockup at bond court.
Latest Breaking News
Trotter is among at least a half-dozen announced Democratic contenders in the 2nd Congressional District contest to succeed Jackson, who announced his resignation Nov. 21 amid federal ethics probes and a diagnosis of bipolar depression.
The media frenzy surrounding Trotter's arrest was fueled by reports that he appeared to have the inside track toward gaining the formal endorsement of the district's top Cook County Democrats at a slating session next week.
Trotter is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Wednesday in branch court at 5555 W. Grand Ave.


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Bieksa's Buddies to lace 'em on in charity game with Thunderbirds
Players want to keep funding going to several worthy causes
Locked out Vancouver Canucks players, known as (Kevin) Bieksa's Buddies, will face off in a charity game against the Thunderbirds on Wedneday, Oct. 17, at Doug Mitchell Sports Centre at UBC.
Photograph by: Steve Bosch , Vanouver Sun files
They practised together earlier this week and now some of the locked out members of the Vancouver Canucks are going to play the UBC Thunderbirds in a charity game.
Bieksa's Buddies - they can't call themselves the Canucks during the lockout - will meet the TBirds at UBC's Doug Mitchell Sports Centre on Oct. 17. Game time is 7 p.m. and tickets ($20 plus service charges) go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through TicketMaster.
Defenceman Kevin Bieksa will be joined by Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Dan Hamhuis, Manny Malhotra, Max Lapierre, Cory Schneider, Willie Mitchell and others.
Net proceeds from the game will benefit Canuck Place Children's Hospice, Canucks Autism Network, and the Canucks Family Education Centre.
"We understand there are many people [affected] by the NHL lockout and we know charities such as Canuck Place Children's Hospice, Canucks Family Education Centre, and Canucks Autism Network need funds to continue operating their programs," Bieksa said in a news release issued Wednesday by UBC. "These organizations do great work for our community. It is important for my Buddies and I to lend a hand and with the help of the UBC Thunderbirds; we have the perfect opportunity to do so."
Tickets can be purchased by logging on to www.ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-985-5000.
Several members of the Canucks have been skating three times a week at UBC since the lockout began. Last week, they joined the Thunderbirds at one of UBC's practices.


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I've been a craft beer geek for about as long as there has been such a thing–since the mid-1980s. Basically, my entire adult life. One of the most satisfying parts of the journey has been watching beer make inroads into previous uncharted territory. I suppose this story is an example.
David LeClaire is a certified sommelier, the founder of Wine Events and Promotions, and the founder of Seattle Uncorked and Portland Uncorked, the two largest wine clubs in the Northwest. Beyond that, a couple of years ago he opened a highly visible wine store just off Interstate 5 in Seattle: Wine World, the place with the big red sign near the University District. There really wasn't anything like it in Seattle: an real wine superstore. When it comes to wine, David LeClaire is kind of a big deal around here. So what does that have to do with beer?
Wine World is evolving and these days it is about more than just wine. The store also stocks beer and (now) spirits. Last night Pike Brewing was the second brewery to participate in Wine World's Meet the Brewer series. On June 20th, Sound Brewery was the first. Each Wednesday from 6:00 – 8:00 Wine World turns into beer world.
What's more, Wine World is starting a homebrew club. The first gathering of homebrewers is this Sunday. If you're interested in the homebrew club, email [email protected].
Upcoming Meet the Brewer Events (Wednesday, 6:00 – 8:00)
- July 11 – Lazy Boy Brewing
- July 18 – Sierra Nevada Brewery
- July 25 – BridgePort Brewing
- Aug. 1 – Fremont Brewing
- Aug. 8 – Pyramid Breweries
- Aug. 15 – Alaskan Brewing
- Aug. 22 – Widmer Brewery
- Aug. 29 – Kona Brewery
- Sept. 5 – Redhook Brewery
- Sept. 12 – Elysian Brewery


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You need to log in to access this website.
If you have any problems logging in or wish to contact Young and Strong, please call (888) 814-3324 or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
We are available to respond to you Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM EST. We will respond to after-hour and weekend inquiries on the next business day.


text:
POLL CLOSED 4 p.m.
Each week during the high school football season, YOU will get to pick the Xfinity Fan Game of the Week brought to you by News10 and USA Today High School Sports.
The poll stays open until Thursday at 4 p.m. and we will announce the winner that night on News10 at 6 p.m.
On Friday we will feature your game on our Friday Night Football show.
*Refresh the page to vote again*


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The Herd is a special White House 2012 series covering the obvious and not so obvious names that Mitt Romney may consider for Vice President. Each day, White House 2012 will introduce you to one of the many Republicans which we believe that will at least be considered for the vice presidency by the now inevitable presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.
In addition to biographical information and a brief assessment of each potential nominee and their chances of being selected by Romney, White House 2012′s coverage also includes each potential nominee's voting records, as well as a listing of their public statements and links to their web sites.
Today White House 2012 offers a look at Ohio Senator Rob Portman
|Robert Jones Portman (1955-12-19) December 19, 1955 (age 56) Cincinnati, Ohio
|Political Party
|Jane Portman
|Terrace Park, Ohio
|Alma Mater
|Dartmouth College (B.A.) University of Michigan (J.D.)
|United Methodist
Professional Experience:
- Owner, Golden Lamb Inn in Lebanon, Ohio,
- Attorney, Squire, Sanders, & Dempsey
- Attorney, Patton, Boggs and Blow
- Congressional Aide
- White House Aide
Political Experience:
- Associate Counsel to the President, 1989
- Director, White House Legislative Affairs, 1989-1991
- Won, Special Election, United States House of Representatives, May 4, 1993
- Representative, United States House of Representatives, 1993-2005
- Senator, United States Senate, 2010-present
Casual observers of politics may not be very familiar with the name Bob Portman, but in the world of economics Portman is highly regarded as a leading budget hawk, a reputation he established during his 6 terms as a Congressman and as a former Director of Management and Budget. His leadership has been marked by proposals for a balanced budget, fighting against irresponsible earmarks, attempts to put in place new transparency for all federal spending, and when he was Director of Management and Budget, for reducing the size of the federal deficit by more than half of its size at the time.
Prior to becoming the cabinet level Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Senator Portman held another cabinet level post as U.S. Trade Representative. There, Portman implemented and enforced trade policies that successfully reduced barriers to U.S. exports and increased enforcement of trade laws which helped to level the playing field for American farmers, workers and service providers. That is an accomplishment that could have significant appeal to many pivotal, farming oriented states.
Another point that could have vast electoral appeal is that under Portman's leadership, American exports increased and the U.S. brought its first successful legal case against China.
Through it all, while Portman closely adhered to conservative orthodoxy, he still managed to establish another reputation for himself as a successful bipartisan leader and through his bipartisan efforts effectively maneuvered legislative initiatives through Congress which increased retirement savings, reformed the IRS and added over fifty new taxpayer rights, curbed unfunded mandates, reduced taxes, and expanded drug prevention and land conservation efforts.
Now entering his second year as United States Senator representing the important swing state of Ohio, Portman's reputation and proven record could make him a prime target for Romney if he wants to balance the ticket with a solid conservative who has particular expertise with the budget matters that are playing such a critical role in this election, and who is not seen as an overly partisan politician, while at the same time can make the difference between winning and losing Ohio in the general election…….a factor which could very well mean winning or losing the presidency of the United States. It is that consideration which has led many political insiders to conclude that Romney will in fact pick Portman to be his rinning mate.
While too much weight is probably being placed on that for anyone to defintively state Portman will be the vice presidential nominee, the Ohio factor is certainly compelling.
Historically, the choice of a running mate has done little to affect the results of a presidential election. The last time it did come very close to making the difference in the presidential election was 52 years ago, when then Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy selected Texas Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson to be his vice presidential running mate. That decision helped to assure that the close election of 1960 (Kennedy defeated Nixon by 0.16% of the popular vote), would swing to Kennedy in the Electoral College where the final 303 to 219 electoral vote count was the closest since 1916. Kennedy and Johnson had no love for one another. In fact it was just the opposite. However, politics makes for strangebedfellows and so the Kennedy-Johnson alliance was born to insure winning the White House.
It is also worth remembering that the last time the state which a vice presidential running mate came from could have made a big difference was in the year 2000 when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the Florida Supreme Court and order the Democrat led attempts to reinterpret voter intent in only those counties which Al Gore won, be stopped. In that election, had one of Florida's favorite sons, Senator Connie Mack, accepted the offer from Dick Cheney to be George W. Bush's vice presidential running mate, the results in Florida would not have been quite as close as they were, and the nation would have been spared the more than one month long anguish and uncertainty of who the next President was going to be.
Data indicates that the selection of a Vice President usually affects most elections by one percent or less, or by the most, two percent nationally. But the same data shows that the selection of a V.P. candidate can affect the vote in the home state of the chosen vice presidential candidate by as much as four percent. Given these facts and the very likely possibility for this election to be close, at least in the Electoral College, a swing of as much as four percent in a battleground state like Ohio or Florida, could make all the difference between winning and losing in the Electoral College. Which is why like Rob Portman in Ohio, Jeb Bush of Florida and Bob McDonnell of Virginia must also be considered as very real a potential running mate for Mitt Romney.
Given these facts and the fact that Republicans may not be able to win the White House without winning Ohio (no Republican has ever been elected President without it), Portman could be the only available favorite son from Ohio who could change that state's popular vote so significantly that it could swing it and the entire election to Romney. Therefore, when it comes to Rob Portman being on the ticket, at some point the powers that be may decide that they can't win the election without Portman helping to make sure they win Ohio. Personally I do not believe that Portman is as of yet popular enough in the Buckeye State to ensure a G.O.P. victory there but he also can't hurt the chances of pulling out a G.O.P. victory there.
All things considered, Senator Portman is probably one of the safest, least controversial, and most logical choices for any Republican presidential nominee to select as their running mate and therefore, like Bobby Jindal, Bob McDonnell, Mitch Daniels, Marco Rubio, and to a lesser degree, John Thune, Portman becomes a leading contender.
- Portman might influence the results in Ohio by a margin that could deliver Ohio for Republicans and winning Ohio is practicial required in order for Republicans to win the White House
- Could please conservatives who not yet sold on Romney
- Portman corners the market for Republicans on the issues most critical in this election…. the economy
- Is experienced in areas of trade, another important issue
- He is not a lightning rod for liberal attacks and his addition to the ticket would not invite a litany of distractions during the campaign
- Portman's ties to the G.W. Bush Administration will be exploited by the Obama team in a way that will take on a life of its own
While Portman is viewed as one of the most likely people for Romney to pick for Vice President because of his probable ability to put Ohio in the Republican electoral vote count, I do not beliueve that Bob Portman has yet established the type of bond with Ohioans that is necessary to overcome the type of treacherous rewrite of history that will be done by the Obama regarding his record. Ohio voters are not yet so familiar with, and loyal to Portman, that they embrace him as one of their own in a way that they did other Ohio politicians such as the legendary Robert Taft or even more recently, John Glenn. Those were leaders so loved by Ohioans that if they were put through the type of character assassination attempt that Portman will experience, it would backfire. But that is not the case with Rob Portman. At least not yet. And if Ohio is so pivotal, Team Obama will do all they can to assasinante the charachter of Rob Portman. And Portman's short time as G. W. Bush's Director of the Office of Management and Budget, will be the basis for that character assasination.
Of course, Portman will easily and correctly be able to defend his record by making it quitre clear that most of his reccomendations whil Director of OMB were not followed up on by the Bush Administration, but in many regards, the Obama campaign will have the ability to create the false impression that Portman played a part in creating the current economic crisis.
Understanding that, it must also be said that the opposition will do the same with anyone who is nominated by Republicans. So from that perspective, Portman should not be denied the chance to defend his record, a record that is truly exceptional and could be incredibly helpful in allowing Mitt Romney to advance a powerful case for fiscal conservatism.
Ultimatley though, if fiscal conservatism and budgets are a selling point that Romney wants his running mate to well versed and experienced in, I see him more likely to select someone else. Possibly someone like Mitch Daniels who was also a Director of the Office of Management of Budget under G.W. Bush but has a stronger and nmore loyal following than Portman, and has his economic record as Governor of Indiana to point to when Obama tries to pin the Bush years on him.
Portman certainly is on the short list for Vice President and for good reason. But I do not believe that he will make the final cut.
Recent Key Votes
S 2343 – Prohibits Increase in Interest Rates for Student Loans (Reid Bill)
Legislation (Nay), May 24, 2012
S Amdt 2107 – Authorizes Import of FDA-Approved Drugs from Canada
Amendment (Nay) May 24, 2012
S Amdt 2153 – Prohibits Increase in Interest Rates for Student Loans (Lamar Bill)
Amendment (Yea), May 24, 2012
More Key Votes
Portman on The Issues
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Filed under: Rob Portman, The Herd, Vice Presidential Contenders | Tagged: 2012 Presidential Election, 2012 presidential election news, Anthony Del Pellegrino, be on the republican presidential ticket, Bob Portman, Can Rob Portman deliver conservatives to mitt Romney, Can Rob Portman deliver Ohio for Republicans, Can Romney win Ohio, Can Romney win ohio if he picks Rob Portman to be his running mate, election news, for Vice President, George W. Bush, kempite, long list, Mitt Romney, Mitt romney vice presidential screening process, mitt Romney's short list, Ohio, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, potential Republican vice presidential nominees, race for the white house, Republican, republican election news, republican vice president, republican vice presidential long list, Rob Portman, Rob Portman bio, Rob Portman Faith and Values Voters Summit speech, Rob Portman s public statements, Rob Portman voting record, Rob Portman youtube, Romney, Romney 2012, Romney Portman, romney Portman 2012, Romney to name Rob Portman as his running mate, romney's vice presidential screening process, run for vice president, United States, United States House of Representatives, veep watch, vetting a potential vice presidential nominee, Vice President Portman, Vice President Rob Portman, vice presidential candidates, vice presidential choices, WH12, White House 2012, whitehouse12.com, who will mitt romney pick, who will mitt romney pick to be his running mate, will mitt Romney pick Rob Portman, will Rob Portman, Will Rob Portman be Mitt Romney's pick for Vice President |


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Yesterday Japan's foreign minister Koichiro Gemba announced a new effort by the U.S. and Japanese governments to adjust the plan to relocate U.S. Marines currently stationed in Okinawa. The announcement was widely welcomed in Japan, especially in Okinawa.
The U.S.-Japan Joint Statement on Defense Posture issued on February 8 was very brief, and had very few details. It reiterates the goals of the bilateral agreement to move U.S. Marines off of Okinawa, but media reports suggest that while the total number of Marines leaving the island will remain unchanged, their destination will. The number of Marines heading to Guam is reported to be 4,700, and the remaining 3,300 will be dispersed to other bases in the Asia Pacific.
This is a considerable shift in the U.S. position on Futenma. Since 2009, the U.S. government has insisted on linking agreement on the construction of a new runway in Henoko in the northern part of Okinawa to any troop movements off island. Now, the reduction in Marines can move forward, and the Japanese government can return the land used by the Marines in central Okinawa back to commercial use. This will go a long way to meeting the governor's hopes for economic development and job creation on the island.
Japan's foreign and defense ministers appeared rather jubilant at the press conference announcing the new direction of talks over Futenma relocation. The important signal in the statement is the return of five facilities south of Kadena Air Base, and the timing of that base return will no longer be linked to approval of the Futenma Replacement Facility (FRF). When asked about the delinking of what the United States had referred to as an all or nothing "package deal," Japan's foreign minister acknowledged that Tokyo had felt "pressured" by Washington.
Yet it may be too early for celebrations. Both governments remain adamant that they need to relocate Futenma Marine Air Station, and argue that there is "no viable alternative" to Henoko bay in Nago City. Activism against this construction plan will likely remain high. Indeed as the two governments were talking this week, the mayor of Nago City, Susumu Inamine, was also making his way around Washington, meeting with think tank experts and Congressional staff on the Hill. Two weeks earlier another delegation of Okinawan politicians and civil society leaders were also here, meeting with ten Congressmen and over forty congressional staff members as well as other Japan experts. There seems little doubt that sentiments in Okinawa opposing the current relocation plan remain high.
For now, this new more flexible approach is truly welcome. For too long the two governments stuck with a plan that could not be implemented. There is still much creative thinking to be done on how to reconfigure U.S. military bases in Japan. Ultimately, we need a comprehensive approach that looks forward to the next decade and beyond, and that fully considers the political transitions underway in Japan and in Asia more broadly. Unpacking the Futenma "package" is an important first step in that direction.
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These days, life is about as dull as you can imagine: teaching at the university, helping kids with homework, buying groceries, being an administrator for my academic program, and other non-thrilling activities. Except for a moment now and then, I don't reflect on my transsexual nature/history — there's just not enough time to wallow (er… reflect) on it these days. Most days (and even many weeks), it's just not a topic that I think about.
Which is not to say I'm in denial of how I got here. I know all about those rocky months and years and marvel that things have turned out so well. But the days of nervousness and rehearsing my voice and mannerisms so that I could have the confidence to make a public appearance — those days are gone. I feel strongly that my mind and body are aligned and have plenty of confidence in being myself in all circumstances, and that's a wonderful and empowered feeling, let me tell you.
So I was truly unsettled today when the following exchange happened.
I walked across campus to a neighboring department to meet with a committee that wanted my help working on a new degree, and since I run a similar program and wrote the proposal to get it approved some years ago, I was a natural "consultant" for their situation. I met the professors and administrators from this other department (I had never met them before), and during the chit-chat before we got started, the dean said, "Mary Jo…. she's in your department, isn't she?"
"Yes," I said, picturing my wife and beginning to wonder where she might have met this dean. "She is in the graduate program and teaches a lot of our graduate courses."
"I thought so," he said, "We met at a party and talked about her doctorate from Big State University, where I was teaching at the time. We never crossed paths up there, but I remember that she's in your department specifically because of our connection at BSU."
At this point, I'm vaguely remembering this guy from a party in the past, back when I was bearded, heavier, and, well, quite a bit different than I am today. But I figure this small talk will peter out and we'll get started.
"And what about her husband?"
So much for petering out. "Beg pardon?"
"Her husband. He teaches in your department, doesn't he? We met once."
"Uh, I think it's George."
"Don't you know? You work with him, right?" The room's hot and I'm backed into a corner. I didn't come to this meeting to discuss my transition. If only I had known this was going to be a topic, I wouldn't have minded, could have been mentally prepared. But there's no time. I panic and say, "Sure, of course. He's fine."
The dean satisfied, we then proceed with the 90-minute meeting.
Odd blasts from the past like these are disconcerting precisely because I'm no longer on my guard these days, and they take me by surprise.
I don't think I'm ashamed of being who I am, or who I'm married to. But the fact of the matter is that I denied who I was today. I denied that George is me, that I'm married to Mary Jo, that this dean and I have met some time a few years ago. After the initial panic subsided, I had no trouble allowing him to think I was just someone else in the department, someone different than George, someone unrelated to Mary Jo.
As I left this meeting, walking across campus on this crisp winter day, I began feeling terribly cowardly. I could have said casually, "Oh, you're thinking of me — I used to be George, but as you can see, things have changed, ha ha ha." Or I could have said with a touch of sadness in my voice, "Oh, George. He's no longer with us." Or I could have pretended to be clueless and said, "I'm new here and don't think I know Mary Jo's husband," which, given my program's reputation for collegiality and teamwork, would have been absurd.
Neither clever nor fast, I simply denied myself, my existence, my relationship with Mary Jo.
Maybe all trans*people go though this after transition is over, but it was unsettling and I feel like a fraud. I suppose I could defend my actions and rationalize that this polite query was just as potentially personal and painful as asking someone about their divorced spouse, maybe not having heard the news, or asking how the research project was going after its funding had been pulled, maybe not having known the funding was pulled. I suppose there must be dozens of similarly-personal, and anxiety-producing, questions, and maybe this incident has nothing to do with being transsexual.
I'm not ashamed of who I am, what I do, and who I'm married to — in fact, I'm incredibly proud and happy about my existence and my relationships. But I'm also somewhat private and not inclined to make my personal life the topic of committee meetings. I guess I just don't know what to do when such potentially-revealing questions come out of left field. Maybe I take this incident as one data point in a larger post-transition experiment (let's call this choice "the public denial approach"), and if it happens again, I'll try the "full and amusing disclosure" approach to see what happens.


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Have you ever encountered people in your life which looked a lot like or reminded you of any of the cast members of Malcom in the Middle? I am curious to hear more stories.
Here are two of mine:
On the skating track today I saw a kid that looked exactly like Dewey. And I mean EXACTLY. From the haircut to the ears and his smile. Even his expressions. I think he was 9 or 10 years old and it made me look twice because the similarities struck me so much.
Another thing I noticed recently. I love how every time I visit the MITM forum there are different photos from the gallery at the bottom of the page. There's a particular photo-shoot of Bryan Cranston in which he looks a lot like a friend of mine. My friend is only a few years younger than Bryan and I'm sure if I would show one of those photos to any of our mutual friends they would ask me when *….* did this photo-shoot. One of his hobbies involves acting, modeling and photography so it wouldn't be strange to them if he did something like this. Even with different haircuts Bryan still looks a lot like my friend but it wasn't until I saw that photo shoot I noticed the similarities. Crazy. I bet it would crack my friend up if I would tell him. In fact in the past a lot of people told him he should take a serious try at acting because he has such a characteristic face.
Last edited by Karin; May 13, 2012 at 12:18 PM.


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The Young Romans
The Young Romans are from Los Angeles and began in Spring 2010. The band, comprised of Brad Hooks (classically trained pianist and vocalist) and Sari Mellafe (accomplished guitarist and vocalist), has a sound of interweaving harmonies that is both organic and epic, delivering hits fit for Top 40 radio. Brad Hooks, born in Charlotte, NC, has won multiple awards for songwriting and performance. His song "The Ride" was a #1 radio hit in Northern California. Sari Mellafe, a seasoned performer and native of Santiago, Chile, began guitar as a teenager. Her father, a renowned classical guitarist, tried to steer her away from the woes of a musical career, but inadvertently inspired her to pursue just that. Sari and Brad toured as separate artists through high school and have since taken their music all over the world. The Young Romans are now signed with Red Parade Music Group and released their first EP "Yesterday Night" in October 2010.
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